I am pleased to announce the next version of ChronoWall, 0.99! This version fixes several bugs and introduces various GUI enhancements to address some usability issues.

Note that this is the final beta version - the next version after this one will mark the beginning of the 'Release Candidate' phase. From there, if no more bugs are reported, expect to see the first full version shortly!

After the first official version is released, I will work on feature requests that will be available in post-1.00 beta versions. Please continue to share them if you have any! Feature requests that were given to me after 0.97 will make their way into these releases as well.

The full changelog is listed below.

(BUGFIX)

When starting ChronoWall without an Internet connection, the Facebook settings could be lost. This has been fixed in the latest release. Facebook's settings will now only be removed if the correct API error code is returned indicating that the user is no longer authorized.

(BUGFIX)

The medium image view has been removed from the search results / RSS feeds navigation. This allows you to view images in results with far fewer clicks.

(BUGFIX)

The RSS feeds view now looks similar to the searches list. The slanted thumbnail has been replaced with all square icons for a much cleaner look. In addition, RSS feeds are now always removed when deleting one.

(BUGFIX)

The excluded images dialog no longer shows empty icons.

(BUGFIX)

Fixed an issue in the fading transition where icons could appear out-of-place. This would only happen on computers with multiple monitors.

(BUGFIX)

Optimized some performance for the image effects. Image effects that do not affect an image at all are now skipped.

(BUGFIX)

After downloading new Facebook photos, they are immediately added to the list of available images. This allows you to see collages almost instantly when setting up Facebook and downloading images for the first time.

(BUGFIX)

Wallpaper fading works much better on Windows XP.

(FEATURE)

The number of images in searches/RSS feeds is now shown in all views. This gives you more information about where you are when navigating results. In the full screen view, instructions for exiting the view are now shown on the top-right.

(FEATURE)

Various GUI enhancements. The number of active groups and images is now shown on the main status view. In addition, a real-time season and sun position "meter" is shown below the active groups. The 'change frequency' status indicator has been moved under the active images, right above the 'Change Now' button. Also, the number of images in a group is shown when editing one. Tooltips have been added to all of the groups on the left that shows everything about a group - this allows you to access group information easier without actually having to edit one.

(FEATURE)

Added a real-time Facebook download status indicator next to the Facebook 'Log In...' button in the Settings page. This allows you to easily judge whether Facebook is downloading images, removing any initial confusion when first setting up Facebook integration.

To upgrade, first exit ChronoWall and install the new version over the existing one. You do not need to uninstall the old version. If you are unable to upgrade due to the file 'DesktopTransition.dll' (or 'DesktopTransition64.dll') being locked, log off and log back on and try the installation again.

Thank you all for your help! Please let me know of any more suggestions, issues or bugs.